Joe McClendon has seen start-up leagues come and go. And he’s taken note of their mistakes.

As president of the National Gridiron League, which will bring arena football to Hampton Roads, McClendon is determined to learn from them. So in addition to presenting an entertaining and affordable product, his goal is to connect with the community and stay around a while.

“We’re looking forward to establishing a team here and growing it long-term,” McClendon said during a Thursday press conference at Hampton Coliseum. “We’re not setting up this league to be one year (or) two years. We’re looking for long-term relationships (with) communities we feel we can thrive in.

“This metropolitan area has about 1.7 million individuals. … My goal with the league is invest into the community, and we hope that will be reciprocated by the residents of the community and they’ll invest back into us.”

That’s the NGL’s plan for each of its 12 markets — including Hampton Roads, which will field the Virginia Destroyers. The league hopes to tap into the area’s tradition of sports along with its tourism industry, which provides beaches, amusement parks and historical sites.

During a 16-week regular season, the league will be split into two divisions. The Destroyers will be in the Eastern Conference along with the Virginia Iron Horses, who are based in Roanoke.

The top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs. The championship game is scheduled for Aug. 10 in Biloxi, Miss.

The Destroyers’ first game will be March 30 at home against the Kansas Kapitals. Ticket prices have not been announced.

Each team is allowed to carry a maximum of 28 players, 22 of whom can be active on game day. In a roster provided at the press conference, the Destroyers listed 11 players, including former Norfolk State linebacker Corwin Hammond Jr.

Player salaries during the five-month season range from $6,000 to $20,000. The league’s games will be streamed by FloSports.

The Destroyers’ coach is Durwood Roquemore, whose playing resume includes the NFL (two years with Kansas City), the U.S. Football League and the Arena Football League. He’s a member of the latter’s Hall of Fame.

“Our goal is to win the championship, or we don’t need to play,” he said. “So we’re going to put together a great product and bring character guys into the community as well as doing everything possible to build relationships.

“That’s the name of the game, to build relationships with the fans and sponsors and community. At the end of the day, we’re not just a one-year league. We’re doing it for the long haul.”

The Destroyers have the same name of a Virginia Beach-based team that competed in the United Football League in 2011 and ’12. But McClendon said there is no connection between the organizations.

“When we came into the market, we wanted to bring to the fans something they were familiar with,” he said. “We knew with the Destroyers’ name, their fans are still here. We wanted to show that appreciation. We felt the brand wasn’t just a throw-away.”